Panel-board.



J. J. WESLEY.

PANEL BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1909.

Patented June 29, 1909.

%Wweaoc o $331 ('lHo'omujS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. WESLEY, OF HACKENSAOK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGN OR TO METROPOLITAN SWITCH- BOARD COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

PANEL-Board).

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed April 7, 1909. Serial No. 488,465.

tain new and useful Improvements in Panel- Boards, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to panel boards of building, and from which branch or distribution circuits are led to the various localities of a given floor or section of the building. The panel board contains the switches by which these branch or distribution circuits are controlled, and also includes fuses or protective devices for the circuits. these switches of the panel board are intended to be left permanently closed or opened through long intervals, the usual control of their circuits being intended to be effected by separate local switches and devices. In this case the panel board not disturbed except occasionally by a person in authority, such as a janitor of the building.

'In other installations, however, the panel board contains the switches which are manipulated by everyone for securing the desired control of the various circuits. This promiscuous access to the panel board on the part of every sort of person, has the disadvantage'f that it invites tampering and damage 'it 'being evident that very serious damage might be ignorantly done from trivial causes, such as establishing short circuits be-. tween the mains. Or damage might result from inserting an improper fuse, if this is free to be done by any person. On account of these various reasons, it is much better to exclude romiscuous access on the part of everybo y to the fuses and mains of the panel board. It is the purpose of my present invention to so exclude romiscuous access to the fuses andmains of tl ie panclboard, but permit it to the operating switches. The latter may be of the snap or wall type under these circumstances, which are substantially proof against any bad effects from the handling of mischievous, careless or ignorant persons.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists in the features of construction and combination as hereinafter set forthand claimed.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a panel board embodying the princi- Sometimes the-bottom face of the pan ples of my invention; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view, the section being taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 3 is a front view, with the covers, etc., removed to show the interior of the panel box.

Referring .to the drawings in which like partsaredesignated by the same reference sign, 1 denotes a box or housing which is letinto the wall of a building in the usual way. the type adapted to be inset in the wall of a 2 denotes a fixed or permanent rimordinarily made of wooden boards or molding, the same forming a frame or lintel for a cen- .tral door 3. The door 3 is conveniently hinged 'at 4 to one of the sides of the rim 2.

5designates a box of s uare or rectangular section which is receive within the box 1 and constitutes the main supporting frame or base of the panel board parts. T l'llS box 5 is best made of insulating material andhas a width, height and position corresponding to that of the door 3.

6 designates bus-bars within the box 5, and 7 indicates branch conductors which lead from the bus-bars 6 to the switches 8. l

9, 9, designate terminals for receiving fuses in the circuits of the switches 8. In accord'ance with the present invention the switches 8 are disposed in a compact group at the center of the box 5, preferably lying along the outlines of a square, concentric with the larger square established by the box 5. The fuse terminals 9 lie entirely outside this inner square. 7

I make use of the switches 8 as bases to support a shallow box or pan 10 which is recelved within the box 5 in substantially centered relation corres onding to the inner square above referred to which conforms to the area occupied by said switches 8. Wlthin the door 3 there is a. second hinged door 12 of a size and position to lie directly over the pan, 10. The push buttons or operating means 13 of the switches 8, project through 10 and are thereforeexposed when the cover 12 is swung back for this purpose. The door or cover 12 is simply. latched to permit free access to the switches by anyone'who so desires. It is evident, however, that thisaccess to the interioii of the pan 10 does not give access to the mains or to the fuses or to any other parts which. might be injured by mischievous treatment. The outer door or cover 3 opens to expose the fuse terminals Qand permits access to all the parts of the panel board.

7 the drawing.

wof. the panel board, switches controlling the This door is preferably locked with a key, for

which purpose a keyhole 14 is illustrated in What I claim is 1. A panel board comprising a panel box and a door adapted to close over the same,

said door having an interior door which can be freely opened'to uncover a restricted area branch circuits of the panel board and located in said restricted area, and a pan overlying said swltches to cover all the switches and the bus-bars of the panel board when said inner door is opened.

1 cated in said restricted area, and a pan overlying said switches to coyer all the switches and the bus-bars of the panel board when said inner door is opened.

3. A panel board comprislng a panel box and a door adapted to close over the same, sard door having an lnterior door which can be freely opened to uncover a restricted area of the panel board, two-button-inclosed I switches controlling the branch circuits of the panel board and located in said restricted area, and .a pan supported by said switches and overlying the same to cover all the switches and the bus-bars of the panel board when said inner door is opened.

4, A panel board comprising a panel box and a door adapted to close over the same, said door having a concentrically located smaller hinged interior door which can be freely opened to uncover a restricted area of the panel board, switches controlling the branch circuits of the panel board and located in said restricted area, and a pan overlying said switches to cover all the switches and the bus-bars of the panel board, when said inner door is opened.

5. A panel board comprising a panel box and a door adapted to close over the same, said door having an interior door which can be freely opened to uncover a restricted area of the panel board, two-button snap switches controlling the branch circuits of the panel board and located in said restricted area, and a pan overlving said switches to cover the same and tl c bus-bars'bf the panel board when said inner door is opened, said pan having holes through which the buttons of said switches are exposed. i In witness whereof, I subscribe my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH J. WESLEY l'vitnesses WALno M. CHAPIN, WILLIA C. LARY.

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